I feel like I'm in a groove where I keep seeing things I hope I never forget. Holy Week in Costa Rica keeps throwing picture perfect moments in my face, and the trick is to have my camera with me and turned on. There's only so many times a day I can say, “I'll remember this forever!” and mean it. Better to have the camera with me. I'm writing this at home, and when I post it I'll see if the internet is highly functioning – if so, I'll definitely post my favorite pictures from this week.
Holy Week is a weird combo of faith and vacation. A lot of people I've talked to say that Holy Week should be for prayer, contemplation and piety. Most people I've seen, though, take off for the beach or some other beautiful destination. That makes me feel like I can legitimately claim that my Holy Week began yesterday, sitting in a bar after class let out and enjoying the Barcelona/Madrid fútbol game. It's not officially on the bill of events released by the church, but I felt like my spirit was nourished just the same. After drinking a cafecito with my girls in one of their homes and a mini dance party, I stayed up until 11:30 pm (WHOA – party animal) watching another Barbie movie with my sisters. I am an awesome, tolerant older sister. It also helps to fall asleep in the first half hour.
This morning there was a group of fellow gringos that rolled through my town and we went on a hike to a nearby bridge. It was supposed to take from 7:00 to 10:00 am, however I did not get home until 12:30 pm. I'd like to blame hora tica, the inevitable time delay in Costa Rica that people refer to in alternating loving and frustrated tones. But in reality, it was probably more due to the paralysis I experienced when it came time to climb our way out from the river we were swimming in. Steep rock faces and I do not agree, it turns out. But anyway, I made it with a lot of encouragement.
Since then, this afternoon has just been a massive fiesta of eating and watching religious movies on T.V. (they're the only programming offered during Holy Week.) I'm not sure if all of them are really that holy. Supposedly they'll be showing Cleopatra, Ben-Hur, and Spartacus later this weekend. I'll still watch 'em...it's like a Spanish Mystery Science Theater 3000 viewing these movies with the whole familia, everyone squished into my parent's bed.
Yup – I've made the leap. I watch T.V. like a true tica, next to six other people on a queen-sized bed.
Seriously, though, this week is fascinating. Today and tomorrow all the stores are shut down. No buses are running at all, in the whole country. You can't buy alcohol. Bathing is discouraged (you'll turn into a mermaid. But actually, would that be terrible?). A huge statue of Jesus is carried from town to town on the shoulders of the devout. There are people who enact the walk of Jesus to his death, making a circuit of the towns and ending at Mass. No meat, just fish. And no beans – this, out of everything, is what distresses me the most. Today I did not get my gallo pinto, the standard breakfast food. Made from last night's rice and beans, mixed together and refried with some salsa lizano, gallo pinto is what makes me get up out of bed some days. Boo. Definitely looking forward to 6:00 am Saturday morning.
But all the other eating! Today my family went all out and made fruit salad and served it with vanilla ice cream. I almost died from happiness, but settled for a three hour nap.
These are the days to enjoy, too. It seems like relatively little time is left in training and soon I'll have to leave my family. As excited as I am to find out where I'm going (this coming Monday!), as eager as I am to begin my service, my training town feels like home. It'll be hard to leave friends and family. So for now, I'm just soaking it all in.
Pura. Vida.
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